I’m working at the 2012 San Francisco Green Film Festival this weekend, where we see wonderful films like The Island President, You’ve Been Trumped, Waking the Green Tiger, and more. My role is to woman the Video Story Booth. I do short interviews before and after films, getting people’s impressions of the films, the festival, and the green movement. It has been a wonderful experience so far to interact with people in this way. Some are shy, and some are excited about being on camera, but everyone comes away with eyes opened to new ideas. You can check out my videos on the San Francisco Green Film YouTube site.
In another blog, we can talk about the green movement, but here I’ll stick to my subject, which is running a small social media business. I’ve learned a lot in just three days from the filmmakers, the communications and marketing people, and even audience members. Some of them come to the festival because they are bloggers or otherwise involved in social media.
On a personal note, my goal to provide simple social media for busy people was validated. Some people asked me what I do, and when I said I’ve started a business helping people optimize their social media efforts, most said, “I need that!” Filmmakers are busy people who would rather make films than work on social media projects, but they find themselves multitasking like crazy, trying to promote their valuable work. In fact, the director of Just Do It., Emily James, suggested that two-hour social media “audits” would be great to help filmmakers get on track. Hmmm, good idea Emily.
Key Takeaways
The take-home is that people are working hard to promote their films and other work, and social media can obviously help with that. But social media is primarily two other very important things: a means of exchange and a resource. In other words, posting your events doesn’t create conversation, and to make a blog or a site truly inviting, it is best to provide resources that help people learn new things and solve their problems.
So, stay tuned for a resources page on this very site. I want to help you solve your problems and model good social media practices!
Let me know in the comments section what you think the purpose of social media is and how busy people like filmmakers can best use it to not only promote but to be a resource and create an exchange.
Do you need digital marketing services? Please connect with us for a complimentary digital strategy session! Just click the button below to get started.
